


Survivor

by Stingythefish



Category: Mistborn - Brandon Sanderson
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Original Character(s), Roleswap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:07:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23871364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stingythefish/pseuds/Stingythefish
Summary: So this is sort of an odd au. There's no one consistent theme other than "what if this person lived or this person died". Basically I just kinda mess with the canon how I want to. You'll see lots of twists and turns from the original story here.idk where I'm really going with this so I guess you and I will see together. If I upload another chapter it'll probably be much smaller than this.Anyway, enjoy!
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	Survivor

Reen remembered the day his sisters nearly died. He’d come back from shovelling Luthadel’s roofs, long, tiresome work, work that he hated, but did nonetheless. Full of hatred for noblemen, for the Final Empire, and for the Lord Ruler, he’d opened the rickety wooden door of his family’s shack, ready to find a bed and lie down for a few hours.

Instead he’d found Vin’s mother holding a knife above his infant half sister.

His weariness instantly melted away, and he dashed forward, grabbing the child away from Vin’s mother. The crazed woman only slashed at the child again, her face contorted into pure hatred.

“She must die!” Vin’s mother hissed.

Reen said nothing, only setting his infant half sister on a nearby countertop and throwing a punch at Vin’s mother. The woman, somehow, managed to dodge it, and slashed at Reen instead. The blade cut across his cheek, though the wound was shallow, and Reen, using what skills he’d picked up from working the odd job in criminal circles, grabbed her wrist and pulled her off balance. She fell forward, and, with a sickening sound, fell atop her own knife.

Reen stepped back, watching in horror as the woman mumbled something unintelligible as blood pooled around her body. He glanced at the child he’d left on the counter; she was crying now. And, off in one corner of the room…

“Vin,” he whispered.

She was a thin girl, just a toddler, terror etched onto her expression. She clutched a table leg, staring at the scene. Reen stepped forward, bending down and offering her a hand. He almost thought she’d remain there, paralysed, but she took the hand, and he pulled her past the woman’s corpse, grabbing the child from the counter.

_ We have to get out of here, _ he thought. This was it. No more living like the other skaa. If he wanted to support his sisters, he needed a better way of making money. Hopefully, one of the crime groups he knew would take them in. If not, they’d surely at least give him work.

They left the shack, the hazy sky darkening as the sun began to set. As they walked, Vin held on to Reen’s hand a little tighter. The child in his arm quieted down.

_ You can’t trust anyone, Vin, Asha, not even me, _ Reen had always told his younger sisters. It was an important lesson to learn, when you were a skaa. Betrayals, backstabbing, it was the way the skaa survived. If you put trust in someone, eventually that someone would betray you. It was better to rely only on yourself.

Vin seemed to latch on to him, even with him repeating the lesson over and over again. Asha had her own quiet strength, but even she seemed to look to Reen to protect them, to look after them. He wanted desperately to yell at them, scream at them to look out for themselves, not to trust him. He knew that eventually he would betray them, and that if they didn’t smarten up now, they’d die without him. 

One day, he’d come home from a failed job. The boss had gotten angry, given Reen a black eye, nearly killed one of the other men. Anger was stewing in his stomach, and he needed to get it out. He’d returned to the tiny shack he and his sisters lived in, and saw their trusting eyes. They still believed in him, even now.  _ I need to beat it out of them. Make sure they look at me with fear. Maybe then they’ll think for themselves. _

“Reen!” Asha spoke up as he shut the door behind him. “I...I found us some food vouchers.”

He blinked.

“You...what?”

“Me and Asha broke into where they keep them,” Vin elaborated. “I’ve been...watching that place for a while. We didn’t take too much, just enough to not raise suspicion.”

Reen stared at them. Vin, barely ten, and Asha, nearer to seven. They’d managed that much?  _ They trusted each other, _ he realized. His anger dissipated.  _ I was going to beat them. What have I become? _

“Reen?” Asha said quietly. “Are you alright? Your eye…”

He stumbled back against the wall of the shack, and slid to sit on the ground, his head hung. “I...you did great. I’m fine.”

They trusted each other. Even after everything he’d told them, they still trusted each other. They trusted  _ him _ , too. Even though he would eventually betray them. He  _ would _ , wouldn’t he? And yet, he was finding it harder and harder to do so. They were so earnest, and so caring, even behind their fear and their weakness. How could he betray them?

He couldn’t. He loved them, deep down, under all the walls he’d built around his heart, he still loved them. They were his family. 

And he would protect them with his life.

Vin watched as Camon got suited up for the job. He looked like a proper nobleman, with that fancy getup and pompous air. None of the rest of the crew made idle chitchat, not when such a crucial part of the job was so soon to go down. Reen, his arms folded and his back to a wall, stood off to Vin’s right, watching with his usual dark expression. Asha, somehow even smaller than Vin, sat on the floor to Vin’s left, playing with a thin splinter of wood she’d likely peeled off the floor.

“Alright,” Camon muttered as the men finished suiting him up. “Finally. Let’s go get our money.” He smirked nastily.

They were betraying Theron, the thief Camon was working with to pull this job off. Camon was about to head off to the Canton of Finance and secure funds. It was risky, but Camon was the sort of person who made his risks pay off.

He made for the door, but stopped halfway across the room. His eyes found Vin, and she paled. He was going to make her come with him, wasn’t he? To him, she was a lucky charm, but he didn’t know about her Luck, the mystical ability she had that somehow allowed her to influence people around her.

“You. Come with me.” He snapped and pointed to Vin.

Vin reluctantly made to obey, but Reen stepped in front of her.

“No,” he said, his voice dark and dangerous. Normally, so blatantly disobeying Camon would have earned him a brutal punishment right then and there, but Reen somehow got away with it. He was just so intimidating, so frightening. Even though Camon was the crew leader, he could easily get killed by Reen if the younger man acted fast. And oh, was Reen fast.

Camon met Reen’s eyes, impressively. “She’s  _ coming with me. _ ”

“Not into a Canton,” Reen argued. “Not that close to obligators. I let you take her on every other job, but not this time. You can go one day without your lucky charm.”

“You don’t have a say in this, no matter how much you like to think you do,  _ boy _ ,” Camon growled. “Now step aside before I have you beaten.”

Reen opened his mouth, clearly ready to retort, but Vin hurriedly stepped past him, laying a hand on his arm. “It’s fine, Reen.”

He looked to her, concern and pain mixing in his eyes, before reluctantly turning away. Camon grinned in triumph, and Vin took to his side as he made his way towards the exit. She threw one last glance behind her as she left the hideout, and saw in Reen’s eyes a fiery anger.

Somehow she knew things were about to get worse.

Asha looked to her half brother as Camon and Vin left. A smoldering fury was being quietly concealed behind his narrowed eyes and clenched jaw, she could tell. He was not happy to have left Vin in the possession of that pig Camon, and angry that they were heading straight into a Canton.

The rest of the crew were still quiet, and most of them stared at Reen. Though he was one of the youngest men here, everyone else seemed to steer clear of him. He exuded a dangerous atmosphere, and it was no more palpable than right now.

At last, he pulled away from the wall he was leaning against and walked off for the back exit of the hideout, his steps quick and determined. Asha eagerly followed, resisting the grin that was growing on her lips. She could only guess at what her brother was up to, but whatever it was, it was going to be good.

They stepped out onto a back street, and Reen immediately scaled the cobblestone wall of the hideout. Asha followed, with some difficulty, and the two stepped onto the slanted roof.

“You can track her?” He asked.

Asha nodded, grinning. “As long as she’s pulsing.” She looked into herself; she had a reserve. It wouldn’t last her long, but if she scrimped, she could still track the faint pulse Vin gave off for however long it took them to get to the Canton. She used her reserve, and distantly, a small pulsing came from where Vin ostensibly was, a ways down the street their hideout was located on. Asha pointed.

Reen nodded, and broke into a run along the roof, scrambling up the side of the taller building next to the one they stood upon. Asha followed, managing to just barely keep up with her brother, and the two ran along the top of this building. Vin’s pulses still resonated faintly below them.

“So,” Asha said, voice low, “what’s the plan?”

“Intercept them,” Reen answered. “Take down Camon. Get Vin. Leave here. It’s time we left this crew.”

Asha nodded. She was finally going to see some real action! Reen never let her help him on the dangerous missions. Sure, it was only Camon, but still, her heart soared at the thought.

They continued running along roofs, clambering up the uneven walls when necessary, all the while keeping a faster pace than Vin and Camon; evidently Reen wanted to get ahead of them. Vin’s pulsing receded behind them, but Asha still could sense where she was, even as she disappeared from sight.

At last, they stopped. The Canton of Finance’s massive building towered a ways ahead, and for a moment Asha stood transfixed. There, dozens of obligators did their daily business, obligators who would love nothing more than to crush Asha, Reen, Vin, and the rest of Camon’s crew. And Vin was going in there?

Reen bent down at the edge of the building they were stood upon, and Asha hurriedly tore her attention away from the Canton and joined him. A ways down the street, Vin and Camon appeared, the pulses growing slightly stronger now that they were closer to Asha. She felt her reserve shrinking; using it for this long was really wearing it down. 

There were plenty of skaa filling the streets, Asha noticed, despite the proximity to the Canton, enough that just tackling Camon would certainly get them noticed. She glanced to Reen.

He seemed to recognize her inquisitive look. “That alley,” he said, pointing to a gap in between the building they stood atop and the one next to it. “We pull him inside and take him out there.”

Asha nodded, and followed as Reen leapt a rather long drop from the roof to the ground. Bracing herself, Asha followed suit, and though her legs stung upon impact, she made it. The two hid in the shadows, and Asha kept an ear on the pulses.

“Tell me when they get close,” Reen whispered.

The time ticked away, skaa walking back and forth up and down the street. Asha felt her heart pound. How was she supposed to take down a man as large as Camon? Sure, Reen had trained both her and Vin in basic hand to hand combat, but with Camon’s size, even that might not be enough. Hopefully sheer numbers would win them this fight.

“Now,” Asha said, feeling the pulses grow near the mouth of the alley.

Reen stepped out into the street, and Asha watched as he grabbed Camon by his fancy vest and yanked him inside the alley. Camon cried out in surprise as Reen tripped him and brought him to the ground, kneeling over him and punching him over and over.

Suddenly, Asha’s excitement at seeing action died away as she watched the brutal display. Camon could do nothing to fight back against such an onslaught, and blood began to flow as Reen struck the large man endlessly, relentlessly. A sickening feeling appeared in her stomach, and she turned away.

“Reen? Asha?”

Asha looked up, and saw Vin duck into the alleyway. She too seemed to deliberately look away from Reen, and stopped before Asha.

“Thank the Lord Ruler you’re okay,” Asha breathed a sigh of relief, giving her sister a hug. Vin seemed taken aback at first, but returned it.

Reen stood up, his fists covered in blood, Camon still on the ground, and nodded to Vin. “Good. You’re alright. We have to get out of here. I have a few crews in mind who might take us in.”

Vin just nodded, seeming as dumbstruck as Asha felt.

“That,” came a voice from the other end of the alleyway, “was impressive.”

All three whirled on the newcomer. A woman with long dark hair and a faint smile approached, accompanied by a stocky man with a half-beard.

“Truly. You didn’t even use steelpushing or ironpulling, and still managed to climb those houses with barely a hitch. And that takedown was expertly. I was originally aiming for just the mistborn, but the three of you are quite the find.” The woman walked towards them as she spoke, seeming unconcerned about Reen’s bloodied hands or intimidating expression, and stopped before them confidently.

“Who are you?” Reen asked, voice dangerous.

“Me?” The woman smiled. “I’m Mare.”

Reen glared at the woman as they made their way down a much less crowded Luthadel street. He didn’t trust her. She appeared out of nowhere, and suddenly was leading them to Lord Ruler knew where? But he couldn’t do anything, not yet. He didn’t know if she had a secret advantage up her sleeve, or if he’d even be able to take both her and the stocky man she was with in a brawl. Still, he didn’t intend to follow her to wherever she was taking them. At some point, he’d find an opening, and the three of them could escape.

As they walked, he bent his head lower to whisper into Asha’s ear. “Can you tell if she has any powers?”

“I’ve been using my reserve this entire time,” Asha responded. “She hasn’t pulsed at all. I won’t be able to keep using it, though, Reen. I’m nearly out.”

“I can hear you, you know,” Mare chuckled.

Reen blinked. What? How? He’d lowered his voice to a barely audible volume, and they were walking a decent distance behind the woman and her companion.

Mare smirked, and shook her head. “Never try to whisper anything in the presence of a Tineye.”

“What’s a Tineye?” Vin asked. She was taking to this much better than Reen, and even Asha seemed to look to the woman without reproach. Despite knowing nothing about her, they trusted her, at least a little bit.  _ Damnit, _ he thought, grinding his teeth together.

“I’ll explain everything soon enough,” Mare answered.

“How about explaining where you’re taking us?” Reen asked, no longer bothering to feign compliance. “Or anything about yourself? Frankly, I don’t trust you.”

“Good, I would be worried if you did,” Mare replied. “Well, I suppose I’ll ease your suspicions. I’m a thief and a criminal, like you and everyone you’ve ever worked with, and I lead a crew that operates here in Luthadel. You just murdered that crewleader so I’m assuming you need a new place to stay, and some new work. Well, I’m offering you positions. Happy?”

“No,” Reen said. “That’s not how this works. Crewleaders don’t go out looking for new recruits. They put the word out, and people come to them. Why do you want us?” He was pretty sure he knew why, and it only put him more on edge.

Mare narrowed her eyes at him, almost knowingly. “That is something I’d rather not explain in broad daylight. But surely you realize I’m not going to do anything to you. Yes, while there is more to my specific selection of you, when it comes down to it, I really just need crew members.”

“I trust her,” Vin said softly. 

_ Of course you do, _ Reen thought, gritting his teeth. “Fine. But I want assurances we’ll be able to run at any point. If you bring us into any buildings, I expect the door to be wide open and none of your men to be anywhere close to it. Got it?”

Mare raised her hands. “Fine, fine.”

They walked in silence for a time longer, the skaa in the streets thinning out, until the buildings turned into carpentry shops. Reen placed a gentle hand on Vin’s shoulder and pulled her back, moving to walk in front of her and Asha, putting himself between his sisters and Mare. If this woman was hiding any abilities, or her friend was, then Reen wanted to be able to take the first blow. Maybe it would give Vin and Asha enough time to escape.

Eventually they stopped before one of the shops. It looked much like the rest of the carpentry shops around them. Mare stepped inside, her companion behind her, and Reen reluctantly followed them in.

The inside was just what one might expect to see in a carpentry shop, though Reen had never visited one before. There were several young men, boys, really, wearing aprons and gloves, carrying wood or sawing it. The smell of sawdust filled the air.

Mare opened a door at the far end of the room.

Reen stopped, folding his arms. “Nope. Not going any further than this. Time for you to explain yourself.”

Mare glanced at her bearded friend, before sighing. “Alright, fine. Boys, clear out for a moment.”

The carpenters nodded, and put away their things, disappearing into doors. Mare pulled up a table, and sat at it, gesturing for Reen to do the same. He remained standing, though Asha and Vin took up Mare’s offer. The stocky man who was Mare’s companion also took a seat.

“Now,” Reen said, “why do you want us for your crew?”

Mare sighed again. “Tell me Reen, do you know about Allomancy?”

He frowned.  _ How does she know my name? _ “I’ve...heard it mentioned. Occasionally. I don’t know anything about it.”

“Allomancy is the power that fuels the Final Empire,” Mare explained. “It grants you amazing abilities. The noblemen think they’re the only ones who have access to it, which works just perfectly for us thieves. Your sister, Vin, is an Allomancer.”

Reen’s heart fell.  _ Then I was right. _

Vin’s eyes widened. “What? Me? How?”

“Genetics,” answered Mare. “One of your parents was probably a nobleman.”

Vin glanced at Asha, the two sharing a knowing look. They’d seen their father before; Reen had taken them to see him one time.

Mare leaned forward, elbows resting on the table. “However, you’re no ordinary Allomancer, Vin. Most Allomancers, they only get access to one power. We call them Mistings. I am a tin Misting. You, however, have access to every power there is. You are a  _ Mistborn _ .”

She let the words hang in the air dramatically. Vin sat back, not immediately answering. Reen watched, feeling his heart break. So it was true. He always knew Vin had strange abilities, powers rumoured in vague whispers in the criminal circles he was in, but he’d never brought it up directly with her. He suspected she knew she could do things, but neither he nor her could have suspected she had so  _ much _ power.

“What powers does she have?” Reen asked, before Vin could respond.

“All of them, as I said,” Mare answered, “but I assume you’re looking for specifics. I think a demonstration will do more to help give you an idea of what Vin can do.” She motioned to her companion, who sighed and removed from his pocket a vial. Mare handed it to Vin. “Drink that.”

Reen glared at her. “What? No. Absolutely not.”

“Allomancers get their abilities from metal,” Mare explained. “Consume a metal, burn it your stomach, and you get the associated power. That vial has metal flakes in it, all eight of the standard allomantic metals. Vin needs to drink it in order to use her powers.”

“Drink it yourself first,” Reen growled.

Mare rolled her eyes. “Y’know, I take it back. That cautiousness of yours is kinda annoying.” She unstopped the vial and drank half of it, handing it back to Vin.

Reen stared, but the woman didn’t fall to the ground, frothing at the mouth from poison.  _ I suppose she was being honest, then. _ He opened his mouth to give Vin the okay to drink it, but his sister downed the vial before he could speak.

“You should feel multiple reserves of power settle inside you,” Mare said. “I want you to try burning one.”

A nail flew from atop a nearby desk top, and Vin ducked as it nearly struck her in the head. Reen started. “ _ What did you do to her? _ ” He snapped.

“Calm down,” Mare said dismissively. “That was iron. Ironpulling, as we call it. You should be seeing blue lines in front of you,” she addressed Vin.

Vin nodded. “I tried tugging on one, and then…”

“You pulled on the nail,” Mare nodded. “With ironpulling, you can yank items lighter than you towards you, or pull yourself towards items heavier than you. Try to find the reserve that feels similar to that one.” As she spoke, she stood up, rounding the table they were seated at and picking up the nail from the floor behind Vin. When she returned to her seat, she held up the nail with two fingers. “Each line corresponds with something made of metal. You pulled the nail towards you before; now let’s see you push it away.”

The nail flew from Mare’s fingers, hitting the wall behind her. Vin stared at it in awe.

“Steelpushing,” Mare elaborated. “The compliment to ironpulling. Each metal has its alloy. Go on, find a different metal pairing.”

Reen watched as a hesitant grin grew on Vin’s face.

“What do you feel?” Mare asked.

“I...everything is much sharper,” Vin began. “I can see everything clearer, and hear everything better, and the smell…”

“That’s tin,” Mare smiled. “My metal; as I said I’m a Tineye. Tin heightens your senses, sharpens everything. You can see through the mists, hear the quietest conversation happening several rooms away, feel the grain of wood through your gloves. One of the better metals, in my opinion. Try burning its compliment.”

Vin blinked, raising a hand slowly and waving it in the air. “Whoa…”

“Pewter,” said Mare. “It strengthens your body. Your reflexes are faster, you can take more hits, survive worse injuries, last longer under duress. I’ve seen Pewterarms take hits that would’ve killed them normally. Pick another pair.”

Vin frowned. “I’m...not sure if anything’s happening.”

“Could be copper. Try directing it at me.” Mare waited for a moment. “Ah, no. That’s brass. You’re soothing my emotions. Making the intensity of what I’m feeling less. Burn zinc, and you’ll be able to do the opposite:  _ riot _ my emotions, make them more intense, enflame them. A powerful tool, as long as you know what you’re doing. Try the last pair.”

Vin blinked. “Um...I don’t feel anything again.”

“ _ Now _ it’s copper,” Mare said. “You’ve created a coppercloud around yourself, an area which makes it impossible for anyone inside it to be manipulated by emotional allomancy. That’s not its most notable effect, however. Its usefulness comes from its ability to block the detection of allomancy. Seekers, bronze Mistings, have the ability to sense allomancy, and the only way to block them is with copperclouds. Turn off the cloud, and try burning bronze.”

Vin flinched, and stared at Mare in surprise. The woman laughed. “You feel it, right? The pulses. I’ve always wondered what that’s like...anyway. Bronze lets you sense allomancy, as I said. I’m burning tin right now, which you can detect.” Her eyes drifted over to Asha. “You alright?”

Reen’s younger sister paled, though her face had already gone white. “Uh...no, well, yes, I...um…”

“Spit it out,” Mare prompted.

Asha stared at her lap. “Um...I think I might...have that power.”

Reen’s heart sank further.  _ Not her, too. _ He knew about Asha’s ability; he’d had her use it plenty of times, unbeknownst to Vin. He’d hoped to keep it a secret as long as possible, but apparently Asha didn’t have similar inclinations. 

Mare’s eyebrows rose. “Is that right? You’re a Seeker? You can feel allomantic pulses?”

Asha nodded. “I feel pulses, when I use my reserve. Usually they come from Vin, but a few times I’ve felt them coming from other people and places.”

“I see…” Mare put her hand out in front of her companion, who once again sighed and put another vial in her palm. “Drink this. See if you can feel more than one reserve.”

Asha took it hesitantly, and drank it. Reen desperately wanted to intervene, but he knew it would do no good. He could have insisted Mare drink it again, but by this point, if she had wanted to harm the three of them, she could have easily done so already.

Asha blinked in surprise. “Whoa...there’s so much power. Way more than I’ve ever had at one time.”

“You’ve likely been stuck with whatever trace minerals are in the water you drink,” Mare explained. “This pool is what you should get used to. Do you feel multiple reserves of power?”

“I...don’t think so.”

Mare nodded, as though she expected this. “Figures. The chances of both sisters being mistborn are incredibly low, though it would have been nice. Still, amazing that you both are allomancers. So you’re a Seeker, Asha. That’s good. We’ll have plenty of use for you, here. For all three of you.”

“I was right, then,” Reen snapped. “You just want them for their powers. That’s why you recruited us. To use us.”

“Of course, Reen,” Mare replied. “Isn’t that the point of recruiting? So I can find people to use? You know how crews work, right? You’ll be paid for your work. I’m offering you jobs.”

“We refuse,” Reen declared.

“Wait, Reen!” Vin and Asha said at the same time.

He looked at them sharply.

Vin continued. “This woman...she can teach us! About our powers! We could learn to use them!” Asha nodded beside her.

Reen glanced from Vin to Asha, and back again.  _ Damnit. Damnit, damnit, damnit.  _ He looked to Mare. “Fine. As long as we’re paid well.”

“Oh, you’ll be paid handsomely,” Mare said with a grin. “Once the job is over. While you’re here with us, we’ll give you food, lodging, even leisure activities. You won’t have to live in fear, like you do in other crews. You’ll be a part of the family.”

Reen raised an eyebrow. “No offense, but that sounds far too good to be true.”

“I’m sure it does,” Mare said. “But you’ll see, soon enough. Come, let’s see you to the hideout proper, and to your rooms. Once you’re settled, there’ll be a group meeting, and you can meet the people you’re going to be working with.”

Vin stared at the floor of the room she, Reen, and Asha were sharing. It all felt so surreal. One moment she was surviving with her siblings, jumping from crew to crew, an ordinary skaa urchin, and the next she was a wielder of incredible power. She was a mistborn, her Luck apparently only one aspect of a much larger power set. She could still feel the reserves inside her, though she hesitated to use them. It was more available fuel than she’d ever had at one time--she felt like she’d been feeding on scraps her entire life, only to be given a buffet. How could she waste that? And yet, a part of her wanted to feel the way she’d felt at the table with Mare, power coursing through her. 

Tentatively, she used pewter--Mare had referred to the act as  _ burning _ \--and felt her body grow stronger. She felt more alive, more energetic.

She extinguished the metal as soon as the door opened, and Asha walked in.

“Where’s Reen?” Vin asked.

“Interrogating Mare, I imagine,” Asha answered, rolling her eyes and taking a seat at the bunk across from Vin’s. “You doing alright?”

Vin nodded slowly. “It’s just...I always knew I was different. That I could do...odd things. But I never thought it was anything this big.” She leaned forward. “And you! You’re a...a Seeker! I never knew!”

Asha blushed. “Ah...yeah. I’ve always felt the pulses, but I never knew what it was, exactly. But...apparently you can do this too.”

Vin looked inside her; the pool of power that had allowed her to feel the pulses was still there. Mare had called that one bronze. She burned it. Nothing happened. “Are you not using your bronze?”

Asha blinked. “Oh! Hold on…”

Suddenly, she was pulsing, a steady rhythm thundering from her person. Vin felt them thrum through her; they felt much like the ones Mare had produced, although it felt somewhat different.

“Wow,” Asha murmured.

“What?”

“Your pulses. They’re so much stronger than usual.”

Vin extinguished her bronze, and the pulses subsided.  _ Amazing,  _ she thought. It was like a whole new world was opening up to her. The sorts of heists she’d be able to pull off with these powers…

The door opened again. Reen stood there, looking grumpier than usual. “Meeting’s on. Time to meet our crewmates.”

Vin took a deep breath, and stood up alongside Asha.  _ Mare’s crew. _ What would they be like? Surely they’d be professionals, unlike most of the guys in the crews she knew. She could only imagine how intimidating they’d be.

She followed Reen out the door. They were in the backside of the carpentry shop, which apparently was reserved for crew usage. As Vin had figured, the shop was a front. Reen led Vin and Asha into a room she’d never been in before. A large table sat with plenty of chairs surrounding it, a bar off to the side, and a chalkboard on wheels in the corner. Mare was standing, hands on her hips, her same stocky companion sitting at the table.  _ I still haven’t gotten his name, _ Vin realized.

“Ah good, you’re here.” Mare gestured to the table. “Take a seat. Even you, frowny face.”

Reen just gave her a scowl, but took a seat along Vin and Asha.

“Where’s your crew?” Reen grumbled.

“They’ll be here soon enough,” Mare replied, giving him a smile.

Vin sat in silence, glancing up at Mare.  _ Who is she? _ The thought came unbidden to Vin’s mind, but she realized it was a good question. This mystery woman who somehow found Vin and her siblings, somehow knew about their powers, and somehow seemed like she was hiding a myriad of secrets--what was her motive? What was she planning?

Eventually, the door opened. In walked a portly man in a fancy vest, the sort a nobleman might wear, holding a dueling cane and sporting a mustache. Vin nearly panicked, thinking somehow a nobleman had caught them, but Mare seemed unfazed, and so Vin remained calm as the newcomer sat across the table from them.

“My, my, Mare,” the man said, “three new recruits? And they all look like they can’t be older than fifteen each. Just what are you scheming this time?”

“I’ll get to that part eventually, Breeze” Mare replied. “Trust me. They’re good finds.”

“Is that right?” The man, Breeze, apparently, said, a twinkle in his eye.

The door opened again, and a woman walked in. She was very muscled, Vin noticed, with her sleeves ripped off, exposing her arms, as well as broad-shouldered and tall in stature. Her hair was shaven on one side, but grew long otherwise.

“Am I early?” She asked, taking a seat beside Breeze.

“Right on time,” Mare said, grinning.

“More like late,” Reen muttered.

The woman frowned. “Kids? What’s this, Mare?”

“Apparently she’ll ‘get to that part eventually’,” Breeze murmured. “Dramatic, just like always.”

“Ever the complainer,” Mare replied, chuckling.

“Ever the  _ observer _ ,” Breeze corrected. “Tell her, Ham.”

Vin stared at the woman. “Your name is  _ Ham _ ?”

The woman, Ham, flushed. “Short for Hammond.”

“Indeed,” Breeze said. “Not named for her meatheaded nature, though it is a common mistake.”

Vin stared, her eyes darting from Ham to Breeze to Mare. Evidently they knew each other well. They almost seemed like...friends.  _ I don’t think I’ve ever been that close to anyone, except maybe Asha. And Reen, on his good days. _

Again the door opened, and an elderly man walked in, limping, his face wrinkled and gnarled, a scowl etched on his features. He glared at Mare, the look much more impactful than Reen’s glares, before opting to lean against the wall instead of take a seat.

“Welcome, Clubs,” Mare nodded to him.

“I’m only watching,” Clubs said, voice grouchy. “Gotta know what’s going on in my shop.”

“Alright,” Mare answered. She looked to the stocky man with the half beard. “Dox, any word on Marsh?”

The man, Dox, shook his head. “I sent the word out, but didn’t get a response from him. Hopefully he’ll show, but no guarantees.”

“Figures,” Mare sighed. “Well, I’ll consider this everyone for now, then. Welcome, all. I trust you all made it here well. Now, before we get started, I want to introduce everyone. Most of you know each other, but there are a few new faces here.” She gestured to the elderly man. “You all saw Clubs. He’s the proprietor of this shop, and will be hosting us should we go through with this. To the newcomers, he’s a Smoker, a copper misting. He and his crew keep a perpetual coppercloud around the hideout, so that no one can sense our allomancy.”

Clubs said nothing, only glaring at Vin, Asha, and Reen.

She next motioned to Breeze. “Breeze is our resident Soother, a brass misting. A master of emotions; I’ve never seen a better Soother.”

“You flatter me,” Breeze chuckled.

“Ham,” Mare continued, pointing to the large woman, “is a Pewterarm, or Thug more commonly. Pewter misting, in case it wasn’t obvious.”

“I pride myself more on my personality,” Ham said.

“What, you mean your insistence on having pointless philosophical debates?” Breeze said, waving his cane for emphasis.

“Wh--no, I mean--”

“Dockson,” interrupted Mare, “is not a misting, but instead our chief of anything and everything related to economics and administration. He’s the one behind the scenes, making calls, getting contracts, finding money, working out all the finer details of our jobs.”

Vin glanced to the stocky man. He nodded to her and her siblings.  _ So he doesn’t have an allomantic ability, _ Vin thought, before glancing at the others.  _ But these three do. _

“And making sure you all don’t get yourselves killed,” Dockson added. “Honestly, the amount of times I’ve had to call in favours all because a crazy plan went south…”

“And now,” Mare continued, cutting him off, “our new recruits. Reen, a skilled thief and capable fighter, Asha, a Seeker, and Vin, our new mistborn.”

All eyes instantly found Vin, and she began to sweat as everyone gawked.

Breeze broke out in laughter. “Of course. This is what you meant by ‘good finds’. Ha! Incredible.”

“A mistborn…” Ham murmured. “That certainly changes things. Whatever job it is you’re planning, Mare, you’ve got the firepower to do it.”

Mare nodded. “Indeed. And, speaking of the job, I think it’s time we get to discussing it.”

“Yes,” Breeze said. “What insane concoction have you come up with now, Mare? What’s the goal this time?”

She grinned.

__

Mare threw her coat at her bed as she walked down the hall, and stopped at the bathroom, closing the door behind her. Clubs’ shop, luckily, was one of the better-off ones, and as such the bathroom was well kept and even had a sink and mirror. She rolled up her sleeves, turning on the water and splashing it onto her face. She stared into her reflection, then glanced down at her arms. Dozens of tiny scars covered them, a mark from one of the darkest experiences of her life. She still wasn’t used to seeing them, even though it had already been over a year.

Sighing, she dried her hands and face and rolled her sleeves back up. She froze halfway down the hall. A tall figure in a dark cloak with shoulder-length blond hair was standing before her. For a second, she thought it was Kelsier.

“Marsh,” she whispered.

He smiled, a rare expression, and walked forward to her. “Mare. I...It’s good to see you.”

“You too,” she said, though it came out a tad forced. He stopped before her, and she glanced away, no longer able to meet his eyes. “I’m glad you decided to come. We could really use your help. Especially with one of the new recruits; she’s a Seeker and I’m sure you could teach her loads.”

“Mare…” Marsh began, then sighed. “Don’t act like that. Like you need to put up a guard for me. He’s gone, but you can’t keep beating yourself up over it. I don’t want you to look at me like I’m  _ him _ every time you see me.”

She felt herself grow cold. “I can’t…” she trailed off, and stepped back, leaning against the hallway wall. It hurt, even now, thinking about Kelsier. He’d died, because of her. His last words still rang in her ears, a horrible reminder of how selfless he’d been and how much she didn’t deserve to be here, without him. 

Taking a deep breath, she turned to Marsh. “Did you hear what the job is?”

Marsh opened his mouth, before closing it again, clearly wanting to stay on the topic of Kelsier. “Dox told me. End the Final Empire, huh? It’s crazy. Sounds like something Kelsier would have come up with.”

“Are you going to join us?”

He chewed on his lip. “It’s risky. The odds are totally against us, and there’s a dozen elements that could go wrong. I won’t lie, it aggravates me that you’re going to try where I failed so many times, and probably do far better than I ever could have. But...if you’re asking, then I will help.”

Mare managed a small smile. “Thanks. And the rebellion?”

“I can contact them,” he said. “They’ll listen. Just how are you planning on pulling this off anyway?”

“I have a few ideas,” Mare replied, deliberately vague.

Marsh waited, likely expecting more, but seemed to realize that was all he was getting. “Alright. You...have new recruits, you mentioned?” He raised a curious eyebrow.

She nodded. “Three; siblings. The brother as far as I can tell is normal, but he won’t drink a vial no matter how hard I try, so I can’t know for sure. The younger sister is a Seeker, like I said; I’m sure you’re excited about that. And the middle sister…” She paused for drama. “A mistborn.”

He stared. “You’re kidding.”

She shook her head, grinning.

“Wow,” he whistled. “Well, I won’t say it’s still not near impossible, but with a mistborn...you’ll be able to pull off a lot more.”

“That’s not the only thing I’ve got under my sleeve,” Mare smirked. “But I’ll explain everything tomorrow, when we plan out the specifics. You should go get settled.”

Marsh nodded reluctantly. “Goodnight, Mare.” He turned around and disappeared down a corner.

Sighing, Mare shuffled her way towards her room, closing the door behind her and sitting on the bed. Her tin was on a low burn, as she usually had it, and with it her tiredness only felt that much stronger. She laid down, staring up at the ceiling of Clubs’ shop. Just what was she doing? Aiming to take down the Final Empire? To defeat the Lord Ruler? It all seemed ludicrous to her, now, taking a step back from it all. No one just did that.

_ Kelsier could have, _ she thought. Marsh had been right; this was a plan Kelsier would have come up with. Perhaps that was why she was so determined to enact it. More likely it was because, deep down, she wanted revenge. They had taken him from her.  _ He _ had taken him from her. And she wanted to make him pay. Pay for Kelsier, and for every skaa who died under his horrid empire. If she didn’t, who else would?

Still, actually accomplishing that seemed like just a distant dream. Except, Kelsier had made fantasies reality. Perhaps she could too.

At last extinguishing her tin, Mare finally drifted off to sleep.

__

“And that,” Mare said with an air of satisfied finality, “is how we’ll overthrow the Final Empire.”

The table was silent.

Breeze laughed. “That...actually sounds possible.”

Ham whistled, sitting back in her chair. “Damn. Mare, you genius.”

“I try,” she said. “Now, I’ve laid out each of your parts to play, as well as every individual element to take care of. Breeze, you’re on recruitment, Ham, you’re taking care of the Garrison. Clubs, keep the shop running, as usual. Marsh, you’re in charge of the rebellion from in the caves.” She smiled, placing her hands on her hips.

Asha glanced at the other members of the group, and at her siblings. Breeze spoke up. “And what of the Ministry? The Cantons? We can’t predict the Lord Ruler might not have some tricks up his sleeve.”

“A good point,” Mare said. “Luckily I’ve got someone in place for that. They’re very good at imitating, you see. They’ll be able to slip right into the Ministry’s ranks. We’ll know about every dirty secret the Lord Ruler has tried to keep soon enough.”

“And the House War?” Ham pointed out.

“We’ll need someone to sow chaos among the Houses,” Mare explained. “Assassinate important individuals, create fear and distrust. That, of course, is a job best suited for our new mistborn.”

Asha looked to Vin.  _ Vin, an assassin? _ Vin had never killed in her life. Asha couldn’t envision her sister wielding knives and stabbing noblemen.

“We’ll have to have someone on the inside,” Ham noted. “So we know how the House War is going.”

Mare nodded, stroking her chin in thought. “A good point. My main role in this job will be playing the role of Marian Renoux, the new head of the Renoux house, in Fellise. I was planning on attending Luthadel balls myself, but I admit there’s a decent chance some people there may recognize me.” Her eyes drifted over to Asha. “Which is why I think our new Seeker is a wonderful choice of spy.”

Asha blinked. “Me?”

“You. As a Seeker, you have a valuable skill--you can identify any allomancers at the balls you will attend.”

Asha sat back, staring at her lap. Her, a spy among noblemen? It all seemed like too much. She couldn’t pretend to be someone else, to be  _ noble _ .

“And me?” Reen spoke up, arms folded, glaring at Mare.

Mare stared at him for a moment. “Hm. I admit I wasn’t thinking of what to do with you when this plan started to become fully formed in my mind. You kind of came as a bonus along with Vin.” She frowned pensively. “Well, I always need ears out on the streets. You know your way among crime groups and with the common skaa. You should be able to get me good info.”

Reen sniffed at this. Asha knew what that meant; he clearly resented not being given a bigger role, but was too conflicted about the whole situation to say anything about it. Asha’s brother folded his arms and sat back, his usual grumpy scowl on, while to Asha’s other side, her sister looked pale.  _ She’s overwhelmed, _ she realized. It made sense. Being assigned the role of an assassin? A killer? When just days ago you had been nothing more than an urchin? But Vin wasn’t saying anything.

Asha took a deep breath, and spoke up. “Mare?”

The dark-haired woman blinked. “Yes?”

“Um...do you think Vin can take my place instead?”

Mare frowned. “Why?”

Asha bit her lip. “Cause she’s only sixteen. She hasn’t killed anyone before. She doesn’t know how to use her abilities. I get we need to kill nobles to create chaos, but...maybe it would be better if she was the spy instead? She can block out her pulses from Seekers, too, if there are any there, which I can’t do.”

“Already thinking like an allomancer, eh?” Mare smirked. “It’s not a terrible idea. Mistborn have advantages, even when dealing with noble politics. Vin could resist rioting and soothing, listen to distant conversations, keep her burning from being detected. I would still have her trained to be a proper mistborn, with the goal of having her eventually be an assassin, but for the first while, we could absolutely have her attend the balls. Better yet, have the  _ both _ of you attend. Sister nobles. Cover more ground at once.”

Vin seemed to relax at this suggestion, giving Asha an appreciative smile. 

“Who’s going to sow chaos in the meantime, then?” Marsh spoke up from his spot near the back of the room. “We can’t have the House War without assassinations, and it makes no sense to send in spies if we’re not doing that.”

“True,” Mare nodded to him. “Luckily I have a backup plan. I’d been hoping to avoid relying on it too much, but I think circumstances have made it necessary.”

“Backup plan, eh?” Breeze said. “And what might that be?”

“You’ll all find out in due time,” Mare assured him.

“Needlessly dramatic, I must point out yet again,” Breeze muttered into his glass of wine.

“I think the backup plan will give Reen a bigger role, if things go right,” Mare added, smiling at him devilishly. Asha’s brother just glared at the woman.

“So you’ve got this all figured out, then, eh?” Clubs, the elderly shopkeeper, spoke up for once. “You’re just gonna do it. Overthrow the Final Empire. Take down the Lord Ruler.”

“You make us sound like we’re crazy, Clubs,” Mare said.

“You  _ are _ crazy. Even with all your planning, it’s never going to work. Too much could go wrong, and too much will. This is all pointless.”

“How optimistic of you,” Mare remarked. “Yes, we are crazy. But we’re the kind of crazy that gets things done. You’re not telling me you’re walking out of this one?”

The wrinkled man narrowed his eyes at her. “No, not yet.”

“Perfect. Any other questions?”

The room was silent.

“Good. In that case, I think we’ll wrap up for today. Most of you won’t be able to start with your tasks for at least a few days yet, and we have to let Dockson take care of some items beforehand. But then, it’s onto business.” She clapped her hands. “And speaking of business, I have something to attend to now, along with our new recruits. The three of you, come with me.”

The Terrisman looked like what Vin would expect one to look like, though she’d never actually seen one of the fabled manservants. He fit the stereotype perfectly, though; tall and limber, elongated earlobes, bald, with long V-shaped robes. His expression was pleasantly content, and he sat with his hands folded on his lap as the carriage rattled across the fields.

“Why is your nobleman front set up all the way out here?” Reen asked, his tone annoyed as always.

“Because there’s no room to get my leg in the door in Luthadel,” Mare explained. “The Great Houses are set up there, and they aren’t happy when outsiders set up on their turf. If I managed to get my front in Luthadel itself, I’d be under heavy scrutiny. This way’s easiest.”

Reen folded his arms and scowled out the window, reluctantly satiated.

“Can’t believe you managed to get an actual Terrisman,” Asha said, voice full of wonder. Clearly she was just as in awe as Vin was.

Mare chuckled. “Well, Sazed isn’t really like other Terrisman. He’s a member of my crew, just as you are. While he will play the role of a Terris servant during this job, he will also aid you as a friend and a crewmate.”

“A pleasure to meet you all,” Sazed greeted, bowing his head.

Vin frowned. “Not that I’ve ever met another Terrisman, but he seems like one to me.”

“He isn’t like his peers by their standards,” Mare clarified. “But the details of all of that can be discussed another time. Come, we’re nearly there.”

The carriage pulled up on a large mansion, though Vin knew it wasn’t nearly as big as the fortresses the Great Houses had back in Luthadel. Sazed stepped out first, bowing and holding the door open. Mare got out, and Vin and her siblings followed. As they walked up to the front doors, servants bowed to Mare, and Vin recalled that she was playing the role as head of the house. It was impressive, how she so easily held herself as though she really were noble. Vin even noticed that her dress was fancy and pristine, far nicer than anything Vin had ever worn. What must the servants think, to see their lady towing three dirty orphans wearing scraps?

The inside of the mansion was even nicer than the outside. The walls and floors were sparkling clean, the furniture expensive-looking and professionally-made, the entire place seemed  _ noble _ . Mare, Sazed positioned just behind and to the side of her, led the three siblings to a back room, shutting the door behind them.

“Sazed, has our guest arrived yet?” Mare asked as Vin marveled at the sheer number of bookshelves lining the walls of the small room they’d entered.

The Terrisman nodded. “He got in a few hours ago. I offered to make him comfortable, but, of course, he refused. Should I fetch him?”

“Please,” Mare said, before turning to Vin and her siblings. “Alright. From now on, this is where you three will stay. Asha and Vin, you two will train under Sazed’s tutelage and learn how to be noble ladies. Vin, you will also train primarily here to learn to use your mistborn powers. Reen, I have training in mind for you as well.”

“Training how?” He asked, glaring at her.

“Training to become a master thief,” she answered. “Just because you’re not an allomancer doesn’t mean you can’t be a valuable member of the crew. You’re a good thief now, Reen, but you still have a long way to go. I have some tips for you, as does a certain someone else.”

A knock came at the door, before Sazed entered again, a newcomer behind him. The man was grizzled and old, with a long, scraggly beard and wild grey hair. He had a dangerous look, but it was different than Reen’s, giving off more of a crazed feel.

Mare smiled. “Welcome, Gemmel. New recruits, this is Gemmel. Gemmel, this is Reen, Vin, and Asha.”

Gemmel sniffed. “These scrawny things? You want me to train them?”

“Yes,” Mare answered simply. 

Reen glared at Gemmel. “An old man? What could he possibly teach us?”

“A great deal,” Mare said, tone reprimanding. “Gemmel is a mistborn, and has been for a long time. He’s the only one besides Vin I’ve ever known, and he’s the only one who can train her.”

“You have another mistborn on the crew?” Asha frowned. “Then why didn’t you mention him during our planning?”

“He’s not on our crew,” Mare explained. “Gemmel is….”

“Not about to waste my time with your foolish jobs,” Gemmel replied, voice gruff. “I’ll help train your new recruits, but that’s it.”

“Exactly,” Mare nodded. “As much as I’d love to have two mistborn on our side, Gemmel has adamantly refused. And so, we take what help he’s willing to give us and we continue with our plans. Understand?”

“You want him to train me?” Reen asked. “He’s a mistborn. I’m not even an allomancer. What can he show me?”

“I’m not just a mistborn, fool boy,” Gemmel retorted. “I lived a life as a thief before I was chosen to have these powers. You want to be a thief, right?”

“I am a thief,” Reen growled.

“Not a good enough one,” Gemmel said.

“Alright,” Mare intervened. “Now, I want you all to rest up. In the morning there will be training for each of you.”


End file.
